Chef Yuzuo Han

Grand Hyatt Mumbai chef Han Yuzuo isn't bothered about Bollywood, he just wants to be the best, writes P.Ramakrishnan. Picture: Sayan Sur Roy


"For Chinese cuisine in India, walk right up to the Grand Hyatt and ask for the chef," recommends Shobhaa De, prolific Indian author and columnist. "It's wonderful - more importantly, authentic."

Han Yuzuo, 28, is the head chef at China House, the Mumbai hotel's Chinese restaurant, which is a favourite of the Bollywood crowd and Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, when he's in town.

"I really wouldn't know an Indian celebrity if I was meeting them," Han says. "The staff always tell me, so-and-so star is here. It doesn't bother me as I'm working. There's no major difference between serving an actor or anyone else. Perhaps we do a bit more decoration, but the food is the same.

"My concerns are all kitchen related; vegetables and sauces. Indian vegetables are very different from the ones we use in Chinese food, so that's what I worry about the most. I get sauces and fresh vegetables air-cargoed in. I get excited when the items come to the hotel straight from the airport, and sauces from Beijing and Hong Kong are ordered specially. Leafy vegetables, bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage, fungus, mushroom, lotus plants - small ones [the Indian ones are too big] - come in, I get excited about the meal plan for the day."

Originally from the Dongbo district of Sichuan province, Han has worked for the Grand Hyatt chain for almost a decade, in several cities around the world, and has been in Mumbai for two years. Having become an apprentice chef at the age of 16, Han attended culinary college and obtained his professional certificate in 2001, then the Chinese Cooking Technician Certificate the following year.

"In China, in my hometown, there are seasons; winter, spring, summer and autumn, so we co-ordinate menus according to what's in season, make meal plans according to the weather. In Mumbai, it's always hot. Or it's very hot," he says, with a laugh. "But I'm getting used to it. The menu changes three times a year and I do that according to what produce is available.

"I have many Chinese and Indian friends here in Mumbai so, even though my wife, sister and family are back in China, I don't get lonely. I get homesick only during the Chinese festivals as they are not celebrated in India.

"It's not difficult living in Mumbai, most people are friendly. I don't speak any Hindi - it's very tough - or English. With my Indian friends, it's a lot of acting and hand movement to make them understand. It works.

"There are many Indians who learn Mandarin, so they come here and ask for me and I talk to them after their meal. Or they request to see me before as they want to order in Mandarin. It is fun for them and me."

What's truly foreign to the tongue, of course, is the taste of India. "Sichuan food is spicy, so is Indian, but it's a different spice," Han says. "Preparation is long, that's the main difference. I see my Indian colleagues preparing dishes and it takes hours and the smells are very strong. Chinese food is made much faster, food is tossed in and out of the wok quickly - but curries have to marinate for a long time. And the temperatures are very high, which I don't understand."

Working six days a week, Han's routine rarely changes.

"My mornings are not very rushed. Around 11am I go to the kitchen; just before the lunch rush hour, I'm here," he says, pointing to a spotless open kitchen that's in a glass bubble in the middle of the restaurant.

"Off-duty, I go out to see Mumbai. Like China, India's a country with a rich history - so that's exciting to see.

"I started as an apprentice chef and learnt from great teachers. I want my cuisine to be known as the best, not just in the restaurant I work in, but in the region."



POST SCRIPT:


Mumbai is a marvel and especially the people I've met there. Many thanks to the fab photographer Sayan Sur Roy for working around his busy schedule for a portrait shot. Wanted a picture to display a Chinese chef who's working in India. Getting the Natraj in the background for this shot conveyed what I needed in a very simple click. Love it.

Have to also say, the team at Grand Hyatt Mumbai were fantastic, arranging the translator, the chef to come in on a weekend, the pr team following up on emails back and forth... all turned out well, after a few initial hiccups. The hotel's gorgeous too.

Outtakes from the shoot.


Portraits by Sayan Sur Roy.